THE party.

The THE is capitilized because...well, it was awesome. :)
The theme was "Fire Trucks" per Cale's request.
The invite went out close to a month before his party, and initially I got a lot of no's.  But, as the time drew near, the guest list became close to 40 people (adults included).  Even a few extras showed up on the day of the party, so we had 18 kids in all (plus 4 babies of various ages). 
Food unrelated to the theme was kept simple with hotdogs, bags of chips and juice boxes or water/soda for the adults.
We also had matches (pretzel sticks tipped in red almond bark), cake pops, a fire engine cake and cookies that looked like burning houses.
Something I had looked into quite early on was having the kids all meet at a fire station, or have a truck come to the house.  I called around and it didn't look like it would become a reality, until a firefighter in our church gave us the hook up! 
We didn't tell the kids about it in case there was an emergency...so watching their faces when the truck backed up down our long driveway was truly priceless.
I decorated the inside of our house quite a bit, but truly, we didn't spend much time indoors.  Most of the party consisted of the guests playing on the trampoline, playing in the sandbox, playing with Cale's new (used) tool table...and pretty much running around crazy.
Seems as though everyone had a good time, so I'd call it a success.
Megersa keeps reminding me that his birthday is in September. :)

okay, now for the pictures:

Help! Our house is on fire!!

 I got hats for all the kids and put their names on them.  I made the brick wall from leftover cardboard boxes (from our move) and spray painted it red then duct taped it together with silver tpae.  I made 'buildings' out of tissue boxes that were on fire (tissue paper) and hung raindrops to cool the flames.  I didn't get a clear shot of the birthday cake. DRAT!  I suppose it was for the best...it turned out more pink and dark green then red and gray.  lol.

the "burning house" cookies...they were ridiculously big.

 I had this banner printed out via Vistaprint.  It says "Sound the alarm!  Firefighter Nester turns 5!"

"Hershey" the fire dog.  Yes, I drew it myself.  Hubby helped with some of the tails! :)

This was certainly a work in progress.  My friend Janet helped me come over to construct it, and then when I started painting...I just kept adding and adding.  There are 2 doors to get in - around the back and on the other side.  The kids (especially my little ones) thought it was superb.

All the kiddies just lined up like that without prompting...they were super excited to see the truck coming to our house!  The man in the blue shirt with the gray cap is the firefighter in our church who was able to orchestrate the meeting. :)

Some party guests playing in our sandbox.

And at the tool table. :)

 Crazy kids jumping on the trampoline! :)

 Mommy & Thad (he slept for a good portion of the party).

  They passed out fire hats to all the kids.  So, most kids went home with 2. :)

 The kids seem to really enjoy this part!

 The game in action.

Here's the birthday boy, wearing a real fire fighters coat! :)

 Daddy & Shepper. Isn't he an adorable fireman?

  Megersa checking out the truck.



We had an obstacle course "on deck" in case the fire truck wasn't able to come, but we didn't end up having to use it.  After the truck left, we ate and then went inside for presents, then cake.  After that some guests stayed, but it was wrapping up.  Definitely a good time. 

Something I'm sure Cale will remember for awhile. :)

And something we will all need to recover from for awhile...lol.

HAPPY 5

HAPPY.

HAPPY.

HAPPY.

HAPPY.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CALE!!

Last night as I was rocking Shepherd and giving him a bottle, I started to sink into that deep, fierce love bubble.  Just watching him breathe in and out as he falls asleep content in my arms.
I look at his face and see so many similarities (though some differences) to Cale.
My mind raced back 4 years ago when I sat in a rocker, feeding Cale as he fell asleep...he was my only, and he got all Mommy's attention.....................
Drifting further back, I started to reminisce about the day before he was born.
I remember telling Tim that I thought he was going to be born the next day.
At 36 1/2 weeks pregnant, my husband snorted questioned my logic.
Even though it was my first baby and I was way before due, I suppose I just had that "mother's instinct." 
I packed the camera bag, a diaper bag, and a hospital bag for me.
The next morning while getting ready for my weekly scheduled OB appointment, I considered tossing those bags in the car.  But, the small voice in my head told me, "well, you may be jumping the gun a bit...leave them at home."
So I did.  I figured I'd get them on the way to the hospital if need be. 
The previous week, at 35 weeks gestation, my doctor had told me I was already 1-2 cm dilated, and how that was unusual for 1st time moms...  Cool, I thought.  Already ahead of the game. 
So, at 36 weeks, I thought I'd ask for another "check" (considering my "instincts" and all).
The nurse told me they usually don't do any checking for dilation until 38 weeks, but since I requested it, she would ask the doctor.
Doctor came in and did so.  "You're 3-4 cm.  Did your water break yet?"
I dont think so, but I sweat alot.
"Are you having contractions?"
I told her the night before I had cramps in my belly, back and the backs of my legs....
"Well, you may be in labor.  I'll call the hospital and tell them you're on your way over.  They will hook you up to machines and see what's going on.  And maybe you'll have your baby today!"
Inside I was thinking...Excellent!  I'm NOT crazy.  But as I called Tim to explain the events that transpired, he still wasn't convinced.  He stayed at the office until further notice.
Okay.....
I arrived at the hospital, got myself cozy in the triage labor & delivery room...donned an unflattering gown, and had my belly strapped up with monitors. 
The nurses let me sit for awhile, watching whatever was on daytime TV.
Tim arrived, with lunch in a bag. We talked and waited.
A nurse returned.  "Well, it looks like you're just having mild irritations, and I'm 90% sure you'll be going back home today...but we'll monitor you for a little while longer."
Okay...........
But she popped back in sooner than we anticipated.  "It looks like you're having contractions every 2 minutes.  Do you feel them?"
I'm kinda uncomfortable (more so because I was made to lay on my left side without the proper pillow placements for a pregnant body)...
"I'll have the doctor come and take a look and check your cervix again.  But from my guess, it looks like he'll take you back today." ((I was having a planned C-section b/c of my previous brain surgery.))
I can remember Tim's eyes bulging and I'm sure his head was spinning...
I just thought...WOW!  I was right!
We called our parents.
Tim's parents were excited, but this being their 5th grandchild, weren't as shocked as my parents.
My Mom (sister too) were in PA, immediately planning on how soon they could come out. 
My dad, always a worry-wart, always questioning everything that's going on was surprisingly calm.  "Thanks for calling hunny, we'll talk to you later." 
Weird, I thought.
Until he called back and about choked on his words as he said "Wait! I thought you weren't due for another month...what's going on?!!"  (Now there's Dad...;)
The on-call OB came in and checked my cervix and confirmed the nurses' prediction.  "Looks like you're going to have your baby today!"  The anesthesiologist came and talked to us about the procedure. Tim geared up with his whole surgeon suit, complaining about how unflattering it was...and I got prepped and wheeled back to the OR.
Feeling sorta weird still that this was all happening, somehow I still felt calm and ever-so-excited to be where I was.
After what seemed like only a few minutes, I felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest as they pulled Cale out.
He cried and I cried.
My husband's experiences with any form of surgical procedures up until that point were slim to nil...but he fought his jellied legs and stood up to take pictures. 
Tim's description of Cale was hilarious...BUT, after cleaning him up Daddy was convinced he was his.
I of course, couldn't wait to hold him and daydreamed about the snapshot look I got of him before they whisked him away and started sewing me back together.
our first son:
Cale Timothy Nester
Born on 4/5/07 at 4:05pm. 
36 weeks, 4 days gestation
7 lbs even
20 1/2 inches long
The next few days, weeks, and months were filled with all kinds of learning experiences.
And to this day, as the oldest of our brood, Cale will continue to give us new experiences.
The day you become a parent has to be one of the best days of your life.
Only to be equaled when it happens again.